Why you should smile back at prospective students

Have you seen the baby Tar Heels on campus lately? Early decisions are out, and the newly minted Heels are starting to seriously consider calling UNC home for the next four years. And they might be starting to employ the smile test.

“What?”

If you’ve been on a college visit in recent history, you’ve heard the same spiel a few times over near the end of each tour — “I hope you’ve loved our campus. Now, I’ll tell you why I chose [insert college name here]. I came to [repeat college name here] because I loved the atmosphere and the people. When I smiled at students, they smiled back, and I knew I wanted to be a [insert mascot here]."

Well, I’m here to say that I picked UNC with the help of the smile test. I smiled at a totally bro-looking-bro, not expecting a return, but there it was. And now I’m here, writing this. See what a smile can do?

“Why does it matter? You probably would’ve come here anyway.”

Image result for elf smiling's my favorite

Source: Pinterest

TRUE, but that’s not the point. A returned smile to a prospective student can make them feel more welcome, and that’s not all a smile can do.

When you’re in the middle of a hellish round of exams and papers, your smiles to baby Tar Heels can actually make you feel happier.

“But, don’t you smile because you’re happy already?”

It works both ways, actually.

Charles Darwin (yeah, that Charles Darwin) wrote about smiling influencing happier emotions all the way back in 1872 when he wrote “The free expression by outward signs of an emotion intensifies it”. Basically, when you express that you are happy, that actually makes you happier.

Even science says so: check out this study from the Atlantic, which explained that even fake smiles can make you happier — it’s kind of a trick that your brain plays on your body, when you’re smiling, you’re happier.

So, take a minute to look away from the computer screen and show off those pearly whites to another human being. Or snapchat, maybe. Or your fine-looking self in the mirror because *hello gorgeous.* It doesn’t really matter which, just say “cheese.”

Here are a couple videos of laughing babies to help you turn that frown upside-down: